Soulless
by Captain Zeug
Summary: Guilt-ridden by their actions in a former life, Frisk deals with the knowledge that, one day, they may lose control. What must they do to ensure that never happens? Could they ever get their SOUL back? [Gender-Neutral Frisk; Post-Genocide Pacifism Ending]
1. Prologue

**Author's Notes**

 **Just a short prologue to kick this story off before I actually get down to business with it. It's been a very long time since I've written anything, so pardon me if the quality isn't so good.**

 **Artist credit for the cover art goes to** **kawaii-chibi-kotou on deviantArt [NSFW Warning]**

* * *

It was finally over. Frisk's adventure had finally come to an end, the barrier was broken and the monsters were free. It was a brand new day for the denizens of Mt. Ebott and there was much work to be done to ensure a peaceful coexistence between humanity and monsterkind.

While many monsters elected to venture out into the world, many also remained at home, in their cozy mountain. Most were just happy to have the freedom to leave, even if they had no intention of abandoning their old homes. Most of those who left built humble settlements at the base of the mountain, slowly but surely expanding outwards from there.

King Asgore worked on building human-monster relations with the help of Papyrus, who had taken it upon himself to act as ambassador, and Undyne, his ever-present right hand and one of the few who were capable of keeping Papyrus in check. She and Alphys now called the surface world home, living together in a mid-sized house built alongside many others at the base of the mountain. Alphys decided to leave her old lab and the terrible memories associated with it behind, partly because she wished to put that chapter of her life behind her and partly because there was no way Undyne could live with her in the Hotlands.

Sans and his brother, however, remained in Snowdin. The town seemed much emptier at this point, most of the residents having moved on to the surface world. Grillby was still around though, and that was all Sans really needed. All things said and done, he felt pretty good.

As for Frisk, after everything they had been through, they just wanted to settle into a cozy home with Toriel, who graciously accepted them with open arms and an open heart. After all, there wasn't anything back in the human world for them. They returned with Toriel to her old home in the Ruins, just a short walk away from Snowdin.

But Frisk wasn't happy. Frisk hadn't been happy for a long time now. Unbeknownst to everyone else, this wasn't the first time Frisk had made this journey. In another time, another place, they hadn't been as kindhearted. Distant memories flooded their mind on a daily basis. The phantom sensation of being covered in a dusty substance, the familiar feeling of a tight grip on the hilt of a blade, and the surge of adrenaline that came with cutting down monster after monster. It haunted them, racked them with guilt.

They weren't sure what drove them to take the path that they did. At first, they were just scared and lonely. Everywhere they turned, something was trying to kill them, but the more they fought back, the more they found themselves _enjoying_ it. It escalated first to who was merely in the way, until finally it became a game to hunt down _everybody_.

And then there was that spectre. 'Chara', it called itself. Every step of the way, Frisk screamed at themselves to stop what they were doing. Things didn't have to be this way. If only they'd listened sooner. Once they were past the point of no return, the only way to go back and make things right was to give up their deepest possession.

Their SOUL.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Chara had told them. "You're a great partner."


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note  
**

 **Oh man, I didn't mean to take so long to put this out. But I've basically been working day and night on my computer for the past three days. New build issues, you know. Regardless, here it is, on with it!**

* * *

 _'Welcome to Snowdin'_

 _Silence permeated the small town, contrasting eerily against the friendly, inviting greeting of the sign. There was not one soul in sight as the child shuffled through, seemingly entranced. They stopped to visit the local shop, only to find it abandoned, just like the rest of the buildings. They took a few cinnamon bunnies for the road and continued on._

 _As they passed the town's gift tree, they eyed a lone monster child, standing around as if everything were fine. "Everyone ran away and hid somewhere..." They said, "Don't they know Undyne will protect us?"_

 _The human child stared blankly at them for a moment before flashing a toothy grin and bringing their blade down upon the monster's head, slicing through like it were nothing. Where the monster kid once stood, there now lied a pile of dust. Satisfied, they moved on._

 _Just past the edge of town, the snowfall picked up and the fog got so thick that they could barely see their own hands in front of their face. In the distance, a tall figure loomed._

" _HALT, HUMAN!" A deep voice rang out._

 _They took another step forward._

" _HEY, QUIT MOVING WHILE I'M TALKING TO YOU!" He continued, "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE SOME THINGS TO SAY."_

" _FIRST: YOU'RE A FREAKING WEIRDO! NOT ONLY DO YOU NOT LIKE PUZZLES, BUT THE WAY YOU SHAMBLE ABOUT FROM PLACE TO PLACE, THE WAY YOUR HANDS ARE ALWAYS COVERED IN DUSTY POWDER."_

" _IT FEELS... LIKE YOUR LIFE IS GOING DOWN A DANGEROUS PATH."_

" _I, PAPYRUS, SEE GREAT POTENTIAL WITHIN YOU! EVERYONE CAN BE A GREAT PERSON IF THEY TRY! AND ME, I HARDLY HAVE TO TRY AT ALL!"_

 _Papyrus laughed his signature chuckle and the child continued walking forward._

" _HEY, QUIT MOVING! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" He expressed his concern, "HUMAN! I THINK YOU ARE IN NEED OF GUIDANCE! SOMEONE NEEDS TO KEEP YOU ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW! BUT WORRY NOT! I, PAPYRUS, WILL GLADLY BE YOUR FRIEND AND TUTOR! I WILL TURN YOUR LIFE RIGHT AROUND!"_

 _His words still seemed to have no effect on the child as they kept walking toward him._

" _I SEE YOU ARE APPROACHING. ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE? WOWIE! MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING! I, PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!"_

 _True to his word, Papyrus held his arms out, ready to accept the human's friendship... and mercy._

 _The child stared at him for a short time, hesitant to do what they felt they had to do. Why had this gone as far as it already had? Did they really want this? But it was too late to turn back now. They had chosen their path, and now they must walk it._

 _They tightened their grip on the blade, stepped forward, and brought it down..._

* * *

Frisk gasped as they jolted awake. They were covered in cold sweat, shaking violently in remembrance of the dream. But it was more than just a dream, wasn't it? Nobody else remembered, but they did. Every night, they remembered. Every soul they took, every ounce of pain they caused others.

They hadn't had a proper full night's sleep in months now. Dark rings marked their eyes and heavy bags felt like they were pulling their head down, but they couldn't go back to sleep now. They couldn't risk going back to that life again, not so shortly after this last time.

Rubbing their eyes, Frisk rose from their bed and stepped out into the hall. The lights were out and the only noise that could be heard were the muffled sounds of Toriel's snoring. They had gotten into the habit of taking a walk each night after their sleep was inevitably cut short by the nightmares. Despite the various monsters and dogs that inhabited them, the forests between the ruins and Snowdin were a nice place to go and be alone for awhile.

Stepping out from the large door leading out of the ruins, the cold nipped at Frisk's body, but they just didn't care. They'd endure the pain. After a short trip, they found themselves before the long bridge leading to Snowdin's entrance. They sat down on the edge of the cliff, their legs dangling over the open air, staring down into the abyss in contemplation. Their mind granted them no respite from the nightmares, constantly reminding them of their previous actions.

" _Good times, huh?"_ A familiar voice spoke to them. That spirit they had awoken before had taken up residence within the deep confines of their mind.

Chara.

Frisk shook their head, offering little more a response than that.

" _No?"_ Chara teased, _"Need I remind you whose choice it was in the first place?"_

That stung, particularly because they were right. It wasn't until the end that Chara had taken Frisk's soul. Every monster, every friend, every life they had taken up to that point was their own decision. It hurt every step of the way, it made them feel completely empty inside, but it was too late to change that now.

" _You think you're above consequences?"_

No, they didn't, and that was the whole point. Frisk had a unique ability to manipulate the fabric of time. Not create alternate universes, per se, but to move back in a line, to change their decisions. To do it all over again. Their whole life since then revolved around avoiding the consequences of their actions. Every time they were struck dead, they had the opportunity to try again. Every time they did or said the wrong thing, they could go back and pick the 'right answer'.

But this was something that couldn't be changed. Frisk's abilities allowed them to manipulate time, but independent of time, and by extension, so did Chara. The two things that persisted throughout their tampering of time were their memories and their SOUL. And now, that belonged to Chara.

" _I hope you realize"_ Chara continued, _"I_ _ **will**_ _be taking control of that body of yours. Enjoy the peace while you can!"_ Their voice faded away as they cackled torturously.

Frisk knew what they meant. They'd bring down the same wrath that ruined the world once before. Everything they had worked for, everything everyone had worked so hard for...

Would be utterly laid to waste.

Frisk put their hands to their eyes, letting their head fall weakly, and wiped away their tears. This was misery. This was torture, knowing there was nothing they could do to stop it. No amount of passion, kindness, or determination could get their SOUL back. Chara was a demon living inside of them. Nobody else would even understand. Nobody else _could_ understand. They'd call them crazy. They'd have them institutionalized. And so all they could do was wait for the inevitable, dwelling on the future day after day.

Frisk continued staring down into the abyss beneath them, thinking. Maybe there was _one_ thing they could do... but could they really? Their heart raced just thinking about it. And they couldn't do that to their friends, their family. It would destroy Toriel most of all. They had already caused everyone so much pain before...

But it was a better option than letting them all get slaughtered.

Frisk sighed in exhaustion. They just didn't know what to do. They wiped away more tears as all the realities of life weighed heavily upon them. They hadn't slept well in months. They had barely eaten a thing in weeks. They constantly felt weak and couldn't stop feeling shaky. Their waking thoughts were constantly invaded by thoughts of a past life as well as anxiety surrounding the future. Their dreams were nothing but vivid memories of what they'd done.

Frisk was just so tired of it all. And so they did what anyone would do, and they cried.

Unbeknownst to them, a hooded figure watched from afar.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**

 **Sorry again for the time taken on this. I don't have many opportunities to write. Still, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Sans was no fool.

He was not ignorant to how Frisk had changed as time went on. The kid always came to the same spot every night, staring down a cliff for hours in the cold. Sans had noticed them one night while making his way to his patrol station, and from then, had noticed Frisk sitting in that spot several nights in a row.

Eventually, Sans found himself coming back night after night to watch them. He wasn't sure why exactly he had started doing this. Part of him was curious how long the kid would keep this up. Another part of him wanted to know what was going on in their head. Yet another part of him wondered which one of these days Frisk might end up 'falling off' that cliff edge.

And another part of him remembered the kid as a dirty, brother-killing murderer.

He was not ignorant to the way Frisk tampered with the flow of time. The first time he met the kid, they seemed alright. Scared and a little violent, but alright. His suspicions weren't aroused back then. He was aware of the disruptions in time, but he hadn't thought the child could be responsible.

However, the more he watched Frisk in their adventure through the underground, he started noticing patterns in the way time moved back and forth. Still, he thought there were more likely reasons.

Then the nightmare came. One moment, Frisk had struck Asgore down, the next, Sans was lying in his bed at home. Everything suddenly seemed so hazy. He got on with his usual routine, and when the kid stepped out of the ruins this time, they were covered in dust with a mixture of anger and emptiness on their face. They proceeded to bring ruin and panic to the entire kingdom.

The more Sans observed, the more he was sure of it. The way all the jumps in time seemed to revolve around them. This kid was responsible. It wasn't until Frisk was nearly to Asgore's throneroom that Sans decided to intervene.

" _it's a nice day outside."_ He'd greeted. He was determined to stop the kid here. He may not be able to beat their ability to travel back in time, but he could sure as hell put a brick wall in their path forward.

The ensuing battle was long and brutal. Sans had crushed the kid many times now, but each time they came back, they made it a little closer to the end. Finally, Sans unleashed his special attack. He got cocky, and he paid for it.

" _don't say i didn't warn you."_ He told them, as he felt his body splitting apart and disintegrating. Everything went black and silent for awhile.

And then he woke up in his bed again. He was dazed and confused. He didn't get much time for himself before his brother burst into his room, yelling at him about being a lazybones, and for a moment, he couldn't help but give a rare, genuine smile as he hugged Papyrus' leg.

The kid stepped out of the ruins once again, and this time, Sans was very wary. However, this time the kid came out scratched and mildly burned, eyes red and sore, presumably from crying. The only substances they were covered in were their own, and they wore the same face of emptiness that they had before, but none of the anger. Instead, it looked like a face of pain and regret.

Sans, however, still didn't trust them for a second. Not after they had practically committed genocide. Not after they had caused so much pain. But the longer the kid's adventure went on this time around, the more they showed their resolve to never hurt anybody, befriending everybody they could, Sans found himself doubting his feelings more and more. When the time came that Frisk succeeded in setting the whole underground free, he was able to give them a genuine smile for the first time in a long time.

But Frisk wasn't happy.

Sans was nothing if not perceptive. After the monsters were set free, he noticed that the time tampering had come to a complete stop. He figured the kid was happy, and he felt himself getting less tense as the days went on, finally able to relax both physically and mentally. But the first night he watched Frisk take a walk through the woods in the middle of the night, the first time he noticed those tired rings around their eyes, he knew they weren't happy. The longer they kept coming back here only helped Sans confirm it.

Sans shook his head, lost in thought as he was. Frisk had finally stood up and began their walk back home, as they did every night after staring for a few hours, and so Sans did the same. If the kid had any idea he was there, they didn't show it.

Returning to his home in Snowdin, he took his place on the Sans-shaped dent in the couch as his brother served up breakfast spaghetti, "THE MOST IMPORTANT SPAGHETTI OF THE DAY!", and dozed off as the morning hours rose, drifting between thoughts of Frisk and thoughts of nothing at all.

* * *

 _Papyrus burst through the front door, startling Sans awake. He was silent for a moment as he processed his thoughts._

" _SANS, THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH FRISK!" He said, turning to his shorter brother._

" _there's something wrong with all of us, paps." Sans replied, lightheartedly._

" _SANS! THIS IS SERIOUS!" Papyrus reprimanded, "FRISK IS HURTING PEOPLE!"_

 _At this news, Sans arose. That couldn't be right, the kid had just put so much effort into making things right. He had to know what was going on._

" _what are you talking about, bro?" He asked, trying to maintain a light air._

" _CLEARLY THEY NEED MY HELP, SANS! I WILL GO TALK SOME SENSE INTO THEM!" Papyrus continued, out the door again without even registering what his brother had said._

 _Sans jumped to his feet. This could be really bad. He called after his brother, but Papyrus moved much too fast for him. He could only follow the trail of footprints leading into the distance._

 _Minutes of chasing footprints brought him to a clearing in the snow, icy fog in every direction. He could just make out the figures of Papyrus and Frisk. As he approached them, he noticed something odd. Had the kid's eyes always been so bright red? And that expression they wore. He couldn't grace it with a description, but it seemed strangely familiar._

 _Papyrus stood, calling out to Frisk, begging them to stop what they were doing, reminding them of all the friends they had made, but they seemed to ignore him entirely. Sans reached out, trying to stop Frisk with his magic, but it didn't seem to have any effect. He felt frozen in place and could only helplessly watch as his brother was cut down before his eyes._

 _As Papyrus turned to dust, Frisk turned to look at Sans and gave a devious smile..._

* * *

Sans' eyes shot alight as he rose from the couch he had so lazily fallen asleep on. He slowly calmed down his heavy breathing as he collected his thoughts and took in his surroundings. Back at home again, but not back in his bed. That was good.

He wiped his hand down his face as he fully woke up. He heard clanging in the kitchen and spied Papyrus cooking bowls upon bowls of spaghetti. Sighing to himself, he let his head fall back down onto the couch, dozing off once again in thought.

 _"just a dream, right?"_


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**

 **Is this getting old yet? Sorry again for taking so long to update.  
**

* * *

Toriel was scared.

She wanted nothing more than for Frisk to be happy. The poor child had become the most important thing in her life ever since they had fallen into the ruins so many months ago. She thought things would finally be alright when the two of them finally returned home together, but as Frisk's condition worsened, Toriel grew more and more wary.

She didn't know what to do. Whenever Frisk came out of their room, she did her best to show them all the motherly care and attention she could, and they seemed to appreciate it, but it didn't seem to do anything towards helping the child feel better.

Every night as she lain in bed, she could hear Frisk leave their room in the earliest hours of the morning, or the latest hours of the night, and they wouldn't return until it was nearly time to start the day again. Toriel said nothing, but she knew.

It was almost 6AM when Frisk came back this night. As usual, they went straight to their room and made no sound. Toriel thought about how much they had changed since the start of their adventure. The emotional, sweet, stubborn, but determined child she had come to know was all but gone, and in their place was a broken, miserable husk.

Toriel just didn't understand why. What had changed? Was it her fault? The stress of it all bearing down on her caused her to shed a few silent tears which quickly soaked into the pillow. She couldn't bear to lose another child. The pains of what happened so long ago had become numb, but the idea of losing Frisk began opening up old wounds.

She whimpered and whispered to herself as more tears fell.

"Asriel..."

"Chara..."

She sighed shakily, "Oh, my children... I miss you so much..."

She gripped her pillow tightly. How long could she stand by while her child was in such pain? At first she thought Frisk merely needed some time and personal space to figure things out, but as the days passed, she asked herself why she hadn't said anything yet. She knew if she procrastinated too long, she would end up regretting it. She would lose Frisk, and she just didn't know if she could handle that a third time.

Wiping her eyes on her pillow, Toriel stood up and walked to her door, hesitant. She leaned against the wall, her hand hovering over the doorknob. After a moment, she resolved herself and opened the door. Quietly, she walked down the hall to Frisk's room and slowly opened the door.

The room was dark and quiet, the only light shone in from the hall. On the bed, she spotted Frisk's small form. They were lying in bed, facing the wall, breathing quietly. Toriel knew they weren't really asleep, but chose not to say anything. She moved to stand over the bed, looking down at her child.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she softly ran her paw through Frisk's hair. The two remained like this for a little while before she leaned down and gave Frisk a light kiss on their head. Rising from the bed and walking over to the door, she turned her head to look at her child one more time.

As she closed the door, a light sob escaped the child's lips.

* * *

Sans opened an eye tiredly as he heard a rap at the door. His brother wasn't home, so naturally the great responsibility of answering the door fell to him. Life was hard.

He rose to his feet, shuffling over to open the door. He was simultaneously surprised, yet not surprised at all at who was standing at his door.

"mornin', queen." He greeted, his expression soft and his smile wide.

"Good morning, Sans." Toriel responded, returning his smile, "May I come in?"

Wordlessly, Sans stepped aside, extending his arm in a welcoming gesture. Toriel stepped past him and took a seat on the couch, Sans taking his usual spot after her.

"need something?" He asked, though he had a sneaking suspicion as to what this was about.

She hesitated to speak for a moment, her eyes turned downward. "Sans... I need your help."

Sans nodded, his interest piqued. Of all the times Toriel had come to him for something, she'd never had such a tone of desperation in her voice. "anything you need, tori."

She looked him in the eyes for a moment and felt herself losing her composure. Her lip began quivering and her eyes felt wet. She moved her hands to her face in a poor attempt to hide her emotional breakdown.

"I... I don't know what to do, Sans." She cried softly, "Frisk gets worse every day. They always look so tired and weak. They won't eat. They don't sleep."

She paused to calm herself while Sans listened intently.

"Sometimes I hear them scream in the middle of the night, Sans." She continued, her voice weakening to a whisper. "I don't know what happened. I thought things could be happy for once. I wish I knew what's going on in their head. I wish they'd say something."

Small, bony arms ran up and down her back, trying to ease her pain.

"I don't know what to do, Sans." She repeated, wiping away more tears, "I don't know what to do... I don't..."

Sans was quiet. He was never any good at these kinds of things. He wasn't much of an emotional type. Reliving the same events over and over again could have that effect on a person, but he'd been growing out of it the longer time moved forward. Still, it killed him to see Toriel in such a state of despair. He'd have to do something about this now...

"shh, tori." He comforted her, continuing to rub Toriel's back and offering his comforting presence to help her calm down, "it'll be okay. i promise. i'll sit down with the kid, we'll have a chat."

Somehow, Sans had a knack for making her feel better. She gave him a weary smile and a soft hug. "Thank you, Sans." She replied, "I wish not to burden you with this, but... thank you."

Sans flashed a reassuring grin. "please, it's no sweat, tori. you can always count on me."

Toriel looked at the clock mounted on the wall. "Goodness, look at the time!" She exclaimed, "I must be returning home, Sans. Please do visit from time to time!" She smiled at him and hurried out the door.

Sans watched her through his window as her form disappeared over the distance, an anxious and unsure look coloring his face. He wasn't looking forward to confronting the kid, but he'd committed himself at this point.

Once again, he'd made a promise he wasn't sure he could keep.

A familiar chill crawled up his back.


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**

 **Wow, this one was some work. I'm feeling pretty good about it, though. I hope you do too!**

* * *

Frisk opened their eyes and sat up, slowly returning to consciousness. They looked down at their hands momentarily before wiping down their face, trying to sweep away the drowsiness. Every new day was like this. Sleep for maybe two or three hours the night prior, fail to sleep because of nightmares, drift into unconsciousness hours later, then wake up and question if you're still you.

Frisk let out a sigh. They barely had the motivation to get out of bed anymore. Didn't want to get up. Didn't want to move. Didn't really want to see anyone, or perhaps they didn't want anyone to see them. Frisk was reasonably certain their friends noticed their physical changes. None of them were experts on human anatomy and physiology, save for maybe Alphys, but it didn't take much to tell how poor their health was. Still, nobody had said anything about it.

 _'Maybe that's good.'_ Frisk thought to themselves, _'They'll forget about me. It'll be better for them.'_

" _You know, once upon a time, you were determined."_ The voice spoke to them, _"Whatever happened to that, huh?"_

"Morning, Chara." Frisk spoke casually to themselves. The whole 'voice in your head' thing starts becoming routine once you get used to it.

" _No, really though. What happened to that kid that had so much DETERMINATION? You used to always keep moving forward. You're even bringing_ _ **me**_ _down!"_ Chara continued lightheartedly, _"What happened to that kid with the iron resolve? The one who didn't let anyone stand in their way? The one who mercilessly slaughtered them all?!"_

"You know what happened." Frisk replied flatly.

" _Oh, don't be sore."_ Chara grumbled, _"Just look at the monsters! Most of them don't have SOULs, but they still had the courage to stand up to you! You should take a lesson from your victims."_

"Stop talking like we're friends." Frisk weakly demanded, "You just want to ruin everything..."

" _Don't talk like that, we're the best of friends! No better friend than yourself, you know."_ Chara replied cheerfully, _"I know all your secrets and you know mine. Or... maybe you don't. Hee hee."_

"Why are you doing this? We both know what you plan on doing, just... do it." Frisk spoke softly, hopeless and defeated.

" _Oh yes, you've got me all figured out, don't you?"_ Chara's tone turned grim, _"That's what I mean though, always so weak and hopeless. I barely even want to take over anymore."_

"Heh." Frisk scoffed, stepping to their feet and dressing themselves. Despite being the spirit of a psychopath, Chara did seem to have some good effect on their mood, and they weren't entirely sure how to feel about that. They were up, though, and that's what was important.

Stepping out from their room and moving toward the living room, Frisk couldn't hear any noise. Searching through the kitchen, downstairs, and in the other bedroom, it became quickly apparent that Toriel wasn't home. It wasn't unusual for her to run off every now and again to take care of errands, but she usually let Frisk know beforehand. Or left a note. Not this time, though.

" _Maybe she finally got sick of you and left!"_ Chara teased, _"She just couldn't bear the burden of taking care of you. Why should she? You don't even take care of yourself!"_

Frisk's thoughts turned to earlier that morning, when Toriel had come into their room just to sit with them for a little while. Was that her way of saying goodbye? Frisk felt a sense of panic rise in their chest, but quickly pushed it back down. She wouldn't just up and leave like that, would she? Just give it some time, she'll be back. Of course she would.

Thus, Frisk chose to ignore Chara's comment and take a walk through the ruins. These walks of theirs served as a way of clearing their mind, plus it was always nice to get some fresh air anyway. It didn't do very much to restore their mood, but it was therapeutic nonetheless.

Frisk walked aimlessly through the ruins. First past the black tree that seemed to exist in a simultaneous state of life and death, up and down pit traps, and past several froggits and whimsuns. The small monsters that always inhabited the ruins seemed very wary of Frisk, keeping their distance and often watching them alertly as they passed, a detail that didn't escape Frisk's attention, and only served to remind them once again of their sins.

As they walked, their gaze was glued to the ground. They couldn't bring themselves to look up and meet the eyes of those who regarded them with such fear. Frisk didn't think they remembered what happened before any more than anyone else did, but their intuition told them to stay away, and Frisk couldn't exactly blame them for that.

After some time spent wandering about, Frisk found themselves in a large, dark room. A single pillar of light shone down from the hole in the cave ceiling, and in the light, a familiar face.

"You."

Frisk always tried to avoid coming to this place. Only painful memories could be found here. That, and one lonely little flower.

"What are you doing here?" Flowey spat disdainfully, "You got your happy ending. You won, everyone's happy. So leave me alone!"

Frisk searched themselves for a response, but couldn't bring themselves to do anything but silently stammer. There was a lot they wanted to say, but no matter what Flowey said to them, they would always remember who it really was beneath that shell.

"You listening, you deaf idiot?! Maybe I didn't speak clearly enough. **GET. OUT!** " Flowey's voice boomed ominously in the darkness. "What, are you just here to taunt me? To gloat? Well I DON'T CARE! I don't care about anything you have to say, so leave!"

As Flowey yelled at them, Frisk felt a strange feeling wash over them, making them feel lightheaded. The shadowed expanse seemed to stretch infinitely as they walked through the darkness, approaching the former monster prince, focused intently on him.

"You should know better than to talk to me like that, Asriel."

Frisk's hands shot up to cover their mouth, their eyes widening. They had opened their mouth to speak, but the words that escaped their lips were not their own. Their voice was not their own. Their mind was not their own. Flowey visibly recoiled at the statement, and before he could get another word in, Frisk took off back the way they came. They sprinted blindly through the ruins until their legs gave in and they collapsed. Their breathing was heavy and hyper. They shook uncontrollably as beads of sweat ran down their face.

They muttered the word 'no' to themselves repeatedly. They didn't want to lose control yet. They couldn't lose control. They squeezed their eyes tight as tears forced their way out. They shuffled their way against the wall and remained there for some time. Their breathing slowly calmed back to normal, and their quiet sobs eventually turned to light snoring.

* * *

 _Golden light filled the last corridor, yet everything seemed to be enveloped in shadow. Frisk had come far, and now it was nearly over. Only one more obstacle stood in the way of their freedom, and he was merely rooms away. Frisk would end this swiftly._

 _The corridor seemed to stretch on for ages as the child moved forward intently, brilliant light shining ominously through the large delta runed windows. Further down the hall, they spotted the familiar form of a certain skeleton. He stood, facing the human down, his perpetual grin unwavering._

" _heya. you've been busy, huh?" He spoke, his voice completely lacking the lighthearted tone Frisk had come to expect from him. The silence was deafening._

" _so, i've got a question for ya." He resumed, casting his eyes downward, "do you think even the worst person can change? that everybody can be a good person, if they just try?"_

 _Frisk took a step forward, eliciting a chuckle from their old friend._

" _all right. well, here's a better question." The light in his eyes died completely, "do you wanna have a bad time? 'cause if you take another step forward, you are_ _ **really**_ _not going to like what happens next."_

 _A devious grin spread across Frisk's face as they took another step forward._

" _welp. sorry, old lady. this is why i never make promises." He took a breath, his eyes closed. "it's a beautiful day outside. birds are singing, flowers are blooming..."_

" _on days like these, kids like you..."_

 _He opened his eyes, showing nothing but emptiness._

 _"Should be burning in hell."  
_

 _Frisk felt a chill over their whole body, a blue magic surrounding them as an enormous weight forced them down. Before they could recover, canid skulls formed up around Sans and fired an intense white beam._

* * *

Frisk's eyes shot open as they sat up, letting out a short yell as their heartbeat returned to normal. They looked around, getting a grip on their surroundings. They were in their bed, back home, but how? They had fallen asleep somewhere in the ruins, so how did they get here?

They turned their attention to the door as the knob began to turn, and as the door opened, through the crease Toriel popped her head in. "Frisk, dear?" She called, "Are you okay?"

Frisk remained silent for a moment before nodding their head. "Just a bad dream." They replied softly. Toriel walked in, leaving the light off, and sat next to her child on the bed, holding them close with one arm. "Would you like to talk about it?" She asked. Frisk shook their head in response, to which Toriel bit back a pained expression. Again, they remained silent in each others' company.

"Why were you sleeping out in the ruins, my child?" She asked, "The bed is a much more comfortable option, don't you think?"

"Just... went for a walk." Frisk responded quietly, "Got a little lost."

Toriel's expression turned doubtful, though it couldn't be seen very well in the dark of the room. "Oh dear, now what I have told you about wandering the ruins alone? You'll get hurt out there." She lightly scolded. Not that the poor child hadn't seen their fair share of hurt on the course of their adventures already. Giving them one more reassuring hug, Toriel rose from the bed and moved to the door.

Hovering near the door, Toriel hesitantly looked back at her child. Another moment of silence passed between them. "Please, my child." She said, barely disguising the strain in her voice, "Tell me if something is troubling you. I only want what's best for you." With that, she closed the door behind her and left for the living room.

Frisk hung their head down, guilt bearing down on them. They hated keeping their mom in the dark about what they were going through, but she wouldn't understand. She couldn't understand. As far as she knew, the concept of 'timelines' was all but foreign. Only this version of events existed to her, so how could she understand?

Frisk wiped away the moisture that began to build up in the corners of their eyes and stood up to leave. They moved down the hall and stood just inside the living room, their eyes focused toward their mom, who was staring at the simulated fireplace, seemingly lost in thought.

"I'm gonna walk over to Snowdin." They announced, catching Toriel's attention, who glanced at them worryingly.

"Honey, you're all skin and bones. Why don't you eat something before you go?" She requested.

Frisk shook their head weakly. "Not very hungry." They replied, a total lie. Of course they were hungry, their body endlessly reminded them of how few nutrients they were getting, but with no appetite whatsoever, they couldn't bring themselves to do much more than pick at their plate whenever food was placed in front of them.

Toriel's worried expression didn't change. "Very well." She conceded, "But at least bring some food with you in case you get hungry while you're out."

Not wanting to put up any more of a fight, Frisk walked to the kitchen and stuffed a container of precooked spaghetti into their pack, one of many of Papyrus' culinary gifts. Might as well find some way to get rid of it. "Please call me if you need anything." Toriel called in valediction, seemingly satisfied. Frisk waved back at her as they departed downstairs.

As the sounds of Frisk's footsteps grew further away, Toriel drew a breath and whispered to herself. "Please, Sans..."

Frisk stepped through the large door leading out of the ruins, the freezing air nipping at their flesh once again. It was at this moment, they started to regret not bringing a coat. They took a deep breath, folding their arms together, and kept moving forward, their eyes once again affixed to the ground. It was quiet out in the woods, nothing to make a sound but the distant rustling of trees in the wind and the firm crunches of their own footsteps in the snow. They had grown quite accustomed to these walks. Always taking the same path, always stopping in the same place. It had become second-nature to them by now, knowing which directions to go to avoid getting lost, knowing just how to slide across the ice to avoid slipping and falling. They didn't even need to look up at this point.

Finally, they arrived at their usual spot. Before them, a long bridge, across which was the town of Snowdin. Peering down the cliff edge, they sat down, dangling their legs as they typically did. Their thoughts drifted to what happened earlier in the ruins. They had lost themselves for a moment. They hadn't even felt the change at first, it happened so abruptly. How were they meant to prepare for that? Could Chara really just summon control whenever they wished like that? Then what were they waiting for?

Lying down in the snow, Frisk stared upward, lost in thought. For that matter, what did Chara know about Asriel? The way they spoke to him, in such a commanding tone, it was like they were already well familiar with each other.

" _The answers are closer than you might think."_ Chara spoke teasingly, thankfully just in their head and not directly through them. However, a feeling of annoyance found its way into Frisk. They hadn't even spoken, yet Chara seemed to know exactly what they were thinking. Could they not even have a moment to themselves?

" _In a word, no."_ Chara answered the unspoken question, chuckling to themselves. _"I'm you, dummy! Of course I can hear your thoughts!"_

Frisk sighed to themselves. "Of course." They replied aloud.

"boy, you sure sound excited to see me." A deeper, lackadaisical voice spoke. Frisk nearly jumped out of their skin, startled out of the conversation in their head. One moment, they were alone, they blinked, and there he was, seemingly from nowhere. "is that any way to greet an old pal?" Sans joked, extending his hand to help Frisk to their feet. The child, however, elected instead to stand up of their own power. Sans allowed his arm to fall back to his side.

Frisk remained silent, their eyes looking anywhere but his, a detail which he hadn't failed to notice. After all, the kid hardly ever looked anyone in the eye. Despite this, his grin remained plastered to his face, as it always did. He gestured in the direction of town with his thumb. "come on, kiddo, you an' i need to have a little talk." He commanded, the typical lightheartedness in his tone dropping a bit.

 _'A talk?'_ Frisk thought to themselves, somewhat anxious. As far back as they remembered, nothing good ever came out of 'talks'. Their old parents on the surface had always used 'talks' as an opportunity to scold them for whatever they may have been doing wrong, and down here in the underground, the usage didn't seem too different. Despite their anxiety, Frisk followed obediently behind Sans as he led them across the bridge. The pair walked in silence, with Frisk staring at Sans' heels whilst they followed and Sans mentally preparing himself.

A short walk later and the two were inside his home. Even while racked with nervousness, the child couldn't help but feel a bit relieved to come in from the cold. "sit." He spoke flatly, to which Frisk obeyed. Sans plopped down next to them in his usual spot, sitting back and allowing an uncomfortable air of silence and tension to build between them. Frisk fidgeted nervously with their fingers, trying desperately to divert their focus, until Sans spoke up.

"so." He began, "where even to start... what were you doing out there by yourself?"

Frisk opened their mouth to reply, but their words got caught in their throat. Eyes continuously cast downward, they could barely push themselves to speak up. "I just... like to take walks." They answered meekly.

"yeah, i've noticed." Sans spoke back, a hint of anger coloring his voice. His statement caused Frisk to raise an eyebrow quizzically. "for a few months now, i've noticed. every night with this, kid. what's going on with you? every night, ya go out there and stare down a pit, talkin' to yourself."

Frisk felt their heart drop into their stomach. _'So he knows...'_ They thought. They had _really_ been hoping they wouldn't have to have this conversation. They didn't really want anyone to know about that, let alone make an issue of it. They could only blame themselves for not being more discreet, though. Sans continued once it became apparent that the kid had no intention of answering him.

His brow furrowed as he grew slightly more frustrated. "your skin's all pale, ya've got these dark rings around your eyes, and you're all skin and bones. and this is coming from a guy who actually **is** a skeleton. it ain't good for you, kiddo."

Frisk kept their head down and their voice silent. How could they even explain to him what they felt? How could they explain their situation without just being called crazy? He wouldn't understand. Nobody could understand. This was their burden to bear, and theirs alone. And so, they chose to say nothing.

Sans stared at the child, patiently awaiting a response that never came. His eyes took on a worried expression as the dead air mounted between them. He shifted over slightly such that he was sitting closer to the child. "look kid, i'm only sayin' this because people care about ya." He spoke reassuringly, placing a bony hand on their shoulder. "your friends, your family, we don't wanna see you suffer like this. so... just tell me what's wrong."

Frisk's lower lip quivered as they struggled to hold back tears. "I know." They responded, their voice a total whisper, "But... you wouldn't understand." A single tear dripped from their face, soaking into the carpet below.

"i might. can't know until ya try me." Sans retorted, receiving little more than a weak scoff from the kid in response. His expression hardened. He was growing tired of playing this game with the child. He stood from the couch, facing away from Frisk, letting out a breath of frustration and defeat. "alright, kid, i've had enough." He spoke, "c'mere, i've got something to show ya."

Frisk's interest piqued, they looked up, their eyes meeting the back of Sans' skull as they stood. They followed in step behind him as he led them outside, around the side of the house, and to a door in the back. A door which Frisk had never seen before. He fiddled with a key for a moment before the door emitted an audible _click_ and opened up. Before stepping in, Sans turned his head halfway back and eyed Frisk for a moment.

The room inside was small, dark, and dusty. The equipment lying around had clearly gone unused for quite some time. On the far side of the room stood a mysterious machine that was covered by a large tarp, Between that and the door were a row of drawers and a sheet of strange schematics sitting atop a counter.

Sans flipped on the lights as they stepped in and began rummaging through one of the drawers while Frisk stood by, wondering what all this was. This room, this whole situation, filled them with unease. Shortly thereafter, Sans pulled a mid-sized metal box out of the drawer and sat it down on the counter. Again, he half-turned to Frisk and eyed them for a moment, before pulling a collection of papers and photos from the box. Cycling through them in his hands, he slowly walked over to Frisk and handed them one of the photos.

"look familiar?" He asked. Frisk looked down at the picture in their grasp. It was the group photo they'd all taken shortly after the barrier was shattered. Everyone seemed happy, even Frisk. But that still didn't explain what this was. They nodded in response.

Sans hummed in acknowledgment, retrieving the photo as Frisk handed it back to him. In return, he passed them another photo. "and that one?" He asked again. They examined the picture once more, a look of confusion shone on their face. It was another group picture, much like the last, only lacking both a certain couple of goat parents and a particular reptilian scientist, with a dimly-lit cave wall behind the group instead of a pleasant, sunny backdrop. Curiously, it was dated nearly-identically to the other photo, almost down to the minute. It was familiar, though, and so Frisk nodded their head.

"that," Sans said, "is from the first time around."

The color began to drain from Frisk's face as realization started to hit. Could Sans really be saying what they thought he was saying? Sans took the photo back and returned the papers to the metal box before taking out a long, red cloth and tossing it to Frisk. They unwrapped the cloth, examining it closely. It felt dusty.

"now. does **that** look familiar?" Sans asked, a vitriolic tone escaping from him. A tone Frisk had only heard directed at them once before, in a time long since passed, though it barely felt like yesterday to the child.

"P-papyrus'...?" Frisk squeaked out as their heartbeat rose and their breathing picked up. Tears welled up in their eyes as they took in the reality of what this meant.

"that's right. my brother's scarf." Sans answered. "he doesn't have more than one. get what i'm saying?"

Frisk felt their legs give out once again, collapsing to the ground, letting out labored breaths. Their eyes repeatedly dashed between Sans and the scarf in their arms. Their whole body shook. "So... you remember too..." They spoke. Less of a question and more of a flat statement. The silence they received from Sans in response was all they needed. Tears began to fall as Frisk clenched their eyes shut and barely suppressed a wail.

"Oh god, Sans..." They choked out between sobs, "I'm so sorry... I don't know what happened..."

"you killed him is what happened." Sans interjected, his grin turning sardonic, "you killed all of us." He didn't like seeing the kid so broken down like this, but he had to admit, he felt something of a twisted sense of satisfaction out of it, and he wasn't very happy about that fact.

Frisk continued sobbing, the tears soaking into the fabric of the scarf. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." They cried again and again. There weren't enough words of apology in the world to right what they had done.

"my point is," Sans continued, refocusing the subject, "i understand a lot more than you think i do, kiddo. so quit with all the tears and tell me what's up, 'cause i **know** there's more to it than just guilt."

Frisk's sobs quieted down after a moment as they composed themselves, still gripping the scarf tightly. They nodded their head. "Okay." They answered quietly.

They told him about the things they felt in the past, describing their internal conflict. They told him the what, the when, the where, and the how. The one thing they couldn't explain was the why. What brought them to make the decisions they had? Moreso, what made them see those decisions through to the absolute end? They couldn't even understand it themselves, let alone explain it to someone else.

They told him about how the memories from that time kept them awake near-constantly. How, at night, their dreams would haunt them to the point where they could no longer sleep. How, during the day, they could barely bring themselves to get out of bed. How their appetite had all but disappeared over time. They told him about the crushing hopelessness that day to day life was for them.

They told him about how much they had wanted to set things right after what they'd done, and what it took to achieve that.

They told him about Chara. The voice in their head that taunted them relentlessly. The demon that now owned the most essential part of their being. The primary source of their forlorn misery.

By the end of their conversation, Sans' eyes had lost their light, much like they had in previous instances. Unlike those times, however, Sans wasn't trying to intimidate anyone. Instead, he was merely lost in thought as he took Frisk's story. He wasn't sure how to feel about it all yet, he still needed time to process it all.

"welp." Sans spoke up after an extended moment of silence, "i'm not even sure what to say here, kiddo. ya kinda got me at a loss for words here." His voice started picking its usual light tone back up, carrying several other feelings with it. He stepped toward Frisk, who remained crumpled on the ground. Calmly, he took the scarf from their hands and lifted them to their feet.

"we'll get this figured out, alright?" He spoke reassuringly, "everything will be okay."

Frisk nodded wordlessly, their eyes still turned downward.

"listen, though." He continued, "from now on, i want you to come to me after you have one of those dreams. no more precariously perching on a cliff edge, alright?"

Frisk continued nodding. As Sans flipped the lights off and turned to leave the old lab, they called out to him weakly.

"Sans..." They said, "Could you forgive me?"

Sans froze in the doorway for a few moments, completely silent. The longer he said nothing, the more Frisk felt their hopes melting away. "heh." He finally replied, shrugging. "i don't know that i can, kiddo."

Frisk's expression visibly stung as they cast their eyes downward once more.

"but..." He continued, "i'm movin' past it, and you should too. it doesn't mean we can't be pals. so try to smile, because people out there care about ya." He tried his best to give Frisk one of his rare, genuine grins, but it didn't seem to phase them. The silence hung in the air around them once again.

"ah hell." He grumbled, deadpan, as he pulled the child into a tight, but comforting embrace. Slowly, Frisk brought their arms up to wrap around Sans' back and squeezed him tightly. The pair remained like this for some time, finding comfort in each others' presence while they stood in the dark.

"it'll be okay, kiddo." Sans spoke softly.

"it'll be okay."


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**

 **I know I don't say much, but know that I always look forward to feedback. Even if I don't reply, I appreciate all the kind words very much, and I hope you all continue to enjoy my work! I can only hope I don't disappoint.**

* * *

Frisk lied in bed, holding their blanket close to themselves, staring blankly at the wall meeting the side of the mattress. Their thoughts were constantly locked onto the conversation they'd had with Sans a few days prior. They replayed it in their head over and over, dwelling on one thing or another.

They thought about Sans. He said he couldn't forgive them, and they couldn't find it in themselves to blame him for that. Despite all the work they put into making things right again, he couldn't forgive them, and they couldn't forgive themselves. Did they really deserve forgiveness? Probably not, considering the consequences of their choices.

They thought about Chara. The little devil had been quiet for awhile now. Ever since Sans had confronted Frisk, specifically. They were almost starting to miss the voice in their head keeping them company. They were also fairly certain the demon child was plotting something. Just what, they couldn't be sure, but it definitely couldn't be good. They didn't like being kept in the dark, especially not by someone who could take control of them at any given moment.

They thought about themselves. Their deteriorating health was making them weaker and sicker by the day. Their stomach begged them to feed it, but with no appetite, they simply couldn't bring themselves to swallow anything substantial. Their continued sleep deprivation impacted them on both a physical and mental level. They hadn't properly bathed themselves in far too long. Their hair felt matted and greasy, and fell in clumps over their face. Their skin felt filthy, many days' worth of dust, dirt, and grime building up all over. They were sure they had an odor about themselves too.

Part of them didn't feel too bad about being in such poor of health. At least it meant that, whenever Chara did decide they were done waiting, the shell they'd get would be useless. Frisk took solace in the closest thing they could get to retribution. Unfortunately, it still meant that they spent every waking moment in pain.

They sat up in their bed, turning themselves such that their legs were hanging off the side. Sans promised them that he would figure out a solution. Maybe they should give him a chance. It was the least they owed him, after all. With that, they may as well get to work on fixing one thing at a time. Standing from the bed, they stripped themselves of their clothing, threw on a towel, and headed down the hall to the bathroom to take a shower. Despite the fact that monsters had no need for such rooms, Toriel had been so kind as to turn the empty renovated room at the end of the hall into a proper bathroom with all the amenities Frisk would need.

The child felt waves of refreshment wash over them as the water ran down their body, washing away all the sweat and dirt layered upon them. Their hair slowly began to feel cleaner and silkier as the grease and oils were washed out. They felt a sense of relief come over them, surprised at how something so simple as a shower had such a positive impact on their mood. They took a deep breath, the steamy air of the warm shower filling their lungs, and let out a sigh, for once not out of exhaustion, but out of relaxation. They still weren't so sure about the brightness of their future, but this moment right now felt good.

They allowed themselves to relax in the water for another half-hour before cutting off the water flow and opening the curtain, cool air blowing past them as they did so. It made them shiver slightly, but it still felt nice. They draped a towel over their body and made their way back to their bedroom. As they lied down on their bed, letting the water droplets covering their body soak into the sheets, a yawn escaped from their throat. Their eyes slowly drifted downward, their vision going blurry as they slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

 _Soft footsteps fell forward, slowly making their way towards the hooded figure._

 _They had done this quite a few times now. They'd exchange 'pleasantries' and Sans would open up with his attack. It always reached the same point._

" _listen." He spoke, "i know you didn't answer me before, but... somewhere in there. i can feel it. there's a glimmer of a good person inside of you. the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. someone who, in another time, might have even been... a friend?"_

 _He looked up with one eye at his adversary. The child's eyes looked wet underneath the shadow created by their bangs. "c'mon, buddy. do you remember me? please, if you're listening... let's forget all this, ok? just lay down your weapon, and... well, my job will be a lot easier."_

 _It went like this so many times. The child stood there, looking cold and empty. Metal clattered and echoed through the corridor as the knife dropped to the ground. They dropped to their knees, weak in body and spirit, letting tears escape as they waited for the inevitable. "I don't want to fight anymore, Sans..." They spoke quietly._

 _Sans was silent for a moment as he stared at the child. They'd gone through this routine time and time again, and they always gave up here. Why do they keep coming back?_

" _you're sparing me? finally. buddy. pal. i know how hard it must be... to make that choice. to go back on everything you've worked up to. i want you to know... i won't let it go to waste."_

 _He extended his arms and moved toward the crumpled child, embracing them. "c'mere, pal."_

 _A series of bones materialized around the child and, after a short moment, they lied slain on the ground. Sans could only stare coldly at the kid's body, hollow in his vengeance. The world was silent._

 _He blinked._

 _Soft footsteps fell forward, slowly making their way towards him..._

* * *

The door burst open with a mighty kick, the doorknob ricocheting off the wall adjacent to it and deepening the series of cracks forming into it. Sans popped an eye open, awoken from his slumber.

"SANS!" The deeper voice of his brother rang out, announcing gloriously "WE HAVE RETURNED FROM THE HUMAN WORLD!"

Sans weakly raised a hand and waved at his brother, then promptly returned to his nap. Over the years, he'd grown immune to his brother's booming voice. After all, he didn't have ears.

"SANS, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" Papyrus chastised, "HERE WE ARE, MONTHS AFTER THE BARRIER WAS BROKEN, I SERVE AS AMBASSADOR OF THE ROYAL GUARD, AND YOU'RE STILL A LAYABOUT!"

Sans' smile widened, amused at how riled up his brother could get over the simplest action, or inaction. "yep." He replied blankly. Papyrus stared at him, waiting expectantly for him to say anything else. The longer Sans said nothing, the more Papyrus felt his mock rage building up.

"IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY?"

"sorry, bro. i'm just so-"

"SANS."

" **bone** -tired these days."

"SANS!"

Sans chuckled to himself, satisfied with his brotherly teasing, as he rose to an upright position. "actually." He said as he came to his feet and walked towards the door, "there is something i need to do today."

Papyrus raised a brow inquisitively. "AND WHAT IS THAT?" He asked.

"i need to talk to Alphys." Sans answered plainly.

"OH REALLY?! WHAT ABOUT?!" Papyrus questioned further, excitement growing in his voice.

". . ." Sans was silent for a beat, thinking of an answer. "stuff."

"COOL!"

Sans walked outside in step with his brother, pulling up his hood to shield his head from the gusts of icy wind. The air smelled of sushi.

"hi, Undyne." Sans spoke, seemingly at nothing. Papyrus looked at his shorter sibling suspiciously. Suddenly, a pointed object flew at them from the bushes, landing uselessly on the ground several inches away from the pair.

"Punk!" A voice rang out. The familiar form of the cycloptic fish knight came into view as she rose from behind the shrubbery, rubbing the back of her neck shamefully with an embarrassed smile on her face. "How'd ya know?"

Sans tapped his finger on the point of his face where his nostrils should be. "i can smell ya." He answered, a cheeky grin decorating his expression. Undyne could only stare silently, confused at the concept of how that would work.

"Aw well." She spoke, quickly getting over her failure at stealth, "I heard you were goin' over to see Alphys. Thought I should head that way too!" As per routine with Undyne, her request to go with Sans sounded less like a question and more like a demand. He really had no choice.

"CAN I COME TOO?" Papyrus asked, childlike in his usual manner.

"actually, bro." Sans answered. He'd been thinking about this for a few days now, ever since he and the kid had their talk. Things had been pretty quiet since then. He could only assume they were doing at least a little better since he hadn't seen them come to their usual spot overlooking the cliff since then. Still, they needed some positive reinforcement. "there's something i need you to do for me."

Despite being hollow holes, Sans could see a glimmer light up in his brother's eye at the opportunity to take on a mission for him. "our little human buddy's not doing so good." He continued, "i want you to go over there and make 'em feel better."

Papyrus struck a heroic stance, his scarf flowing triumphantly in the wind. Sans could almost hear glorious horns playing in the distance. "GREAT IDEA, BROTHER! SURELY THE COMPANY OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL CHEER THE HUMAN UP!" He declared, "I PROMISE THIS, SANS! I WILL GO TO THEM AT ONCE! NYEH HEH HEH!" With not a moment to lose, Papyrus dashed off in the opposite direction of the remaining two, heading into the woods. Sans and Undyne exchanged glances at each other as they watched the taller skeleton's silhouette disappear over the horizon in a matter of seconds.

"So." Undyne began as they both began walking in the direction of the river person, "What'd ya need to talk to Alphie about?"

Sans again pondered how to dodge the question. "science stuff, it'd bore you." He answered.

"Yeah, probably!" Undyne bellowed, a wide grin on her face, "You're both total nerds!"

"yep." Sans smiled to himself as they boarded the small boat and sailed off in the direction of the Hotlands.

* * *

Papyrus marched forward, swiftly but steadily, confidence marking each fall of his foot. As he marched, he pondered, one hand on his hip and the other resting a finger on his chin. He wondered what sort of trouble had befallen the human since the last time they'd seen each other. Of course he noticed the way they'd grown so listless over the months, but being so busy with helping the king made it difficult for him to spend any time with the poor kid.

It was a topic oft-discussed between the trio of Asgore, Undyne, and himself while they were on the surface, during the occasional private moment between bouts of politics. The three would stay in fancy human hotels around the world to attend political meetings, doing some of the most important work to ensure a peaceful coexistence between humans and monsters.

From time to time, the king would call home in the early hours of the morning, speaking to Toriel on how things were going. Papyrus and Undyne would question vicariously through the king, asking what Sans and Alphys were up to in their joint absences. It was through these conversations that Asgore would learn of how terribly Frisk was doing. The conversation would grow quieter and the king's expression would turn morose as he listened.

When Asgore explained what he'd heard from his ex-wife, Undyne would just sit on the edge of the bed, staring downward with a mixture of anger and determination in her eyes. Part of her felt sorry for the kid, while most of her just didn't understand what they had to feel so bad about. They'd done a hell of a lot for everyone, they could call themselves a hero. She didn't understand, and that made her angry.

Papyrus would try to propose that they go back home immediately to help their little friend, but Asgore would explain how they couldn't do that, as the work they were doing was too important to abandon, and Papyrus would wanly agree. Undyne's mood would worsen and she'd grow a little more abrasive as they got on with their day. In those moments, she was thankful it wasn't her job to talk to people.

Papyrus snapped back into reality as he reached his destination. A large set of double-doors leading into the queen's home. He confidently steeled himself, ready to see his good friend again, and proceeded through the door. It was at this moment that it occurred to him, he had never actually been inside Toriel's home before. A long, dark tunnel wasn't quite what he was expecting.

A short walk later and he was making his way up a small staircase into a much cozier atmosphere. He could hear the light crackling of flames in the other room, accompanied by the rhythmic creaking of a rocking chair. He peered around the corner to spy the queen, sitting alone with a book in her hands.

"HI, TORIEL!" He shouted in greeting, to which the old woman responded with a startled scream. After she got a better look at who stepped in, and after catching her breath, she lightly laughed.

"Oh my, Papyrus! You nearly scared me to death!" She responded with a smile. "Is your brother here too?"

"I ASSURE YOU IT WAS NOT MY INTENTION TO KILL YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS! SANS AND UNDYNE HAD TO GO SEE ALPHYS!" Papyrus answered, declaring proudly "BUT I'M HERE TO SEE FRISK!".

Toriel gave him a heartwarming smile, confident that the bright and enthusiastic personality of the taller skeleton brother would help improve her child's mood. "Frisk is in the first room in the hall, dear. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

Papyrus nodded gratefully and quickly turned around, rushing over to the child's door.

* * *

Sans and Undyne made their way through the Hotlands, onward to the core. Since the monsters had gained their freedom, the core had been expanded to serve as an underground-to-surface transport hub. It was how most monsters made their way back and forth between worlds, and as such, was usually quite busy, not unlike that of a human airport, but on a much smaller scale.

Being the king's personal bodyguard, however, came with certain perks, including priority clearance through the facility, a fact that Undyne was quite thankful for, and felt no shame in abusing. The pair skipped around the lengthy lines and took the express elevator up.

The elevator gently hummed as the pair were taken hundreds of feet upward. "so." Sans started, after the pair spent a few long moments in silence, "short trip. where'd you guys go this time?"

Undyne rubbed her forehead in exaggerated frustration. "Oh man. I don't even want to THINK about damn stupid politics right now." She answered, clearly anxious after all the time spent away, "I mean, this time it was just a few meetings some hours away from here, but still! There's so many of them, I haven't been able to spend any quality time with my girl!"

She roughly nudged the shorter skeleton with her elbow, a bright grin on her face. "Or my pals!"

"heh." Sans chuckled, rubbing the back of his skull sheepishly. "yeah, things get boring without you two around. pretty quiet these days, but who's complainin'?" He gave a casual shrug and the two allowed an air of calm silence to fill the room as the elevator slowed down to its destination.

The doors came open and the light outside was briefly blinding as Undyne's eyes struggled to focus so quickly. Sans, however, had no eyes. The two stepped out and beheld the sight of the setting sun, overlooking the various towns dotting the foot of the mountain far below. "Our place is on the beach." Undyne spoke, gesturing a thumb in her home's direction and leading the both of them forward. She marched powerfully while Sans somehow managed to keep up with her pace. "So what's up with the kid?" She asked, "I heard a lot of stuff on the road, and it didn't make me too happy."

While his outward expression didn't change, Sans frowned internally. The child had occupied his thoughts a lot lately, and it was a topic he was trying to avoid discussing too many details of. To even start, he'd have to explain the concept of timelines and how previous lives had gone. They'd think he was pulling one over on them.

"the kid's gone through a lot. it's kinda the reason i'm goin' to see Alphys." Sans answered after a brief moment.

"I thought you said it was about science stuff!" Undyne quickly interjected, throwing a suspicious glance at the shorter skeleton.

"well yeah." Sans answered, amending himself, "it is about science stuff. but it's science stuff concerning the kid too."

Undyne shrugged, apparently satisfied with that answer. The pair continued walking down the dirt path leading to the shore at the bottom of the mountain "kid's doing a little better, at least." Sans spoke up, "we had a little heart-to-heart the other night. got a lot of things out in the air, but i think we can start improving things now."

Undyne nodded, absorbing the information but saying nothing. After more time spent simply following the trail, the two finally arrived upon the doorstep of a quaint and cozy home on the beachfront. The taller woman fiddled with her keys for a short period, quickly growing impatient with it as she often did.

"I'M HOME!" She announced, loudly and proudly, violently opening the door with a mighty swing. Shortly after, Alphys came shuffling along from out of their bedroom, showing a mixture of excitement and sleepiness as she rubbed her eyes. Undyne ran to meet her, scooping the smaller girl up in her strong arms and planting a kiss on her forehead, eliciting a deep blush.

Sans coughed aloud to gain the attention of his old colleague. In all the commotion, she hadn't noticed him standing so calmly near the door. "sup." He greeted, waving casually at her. She adjusted her glasses and offered him a nervous smile in response.

"S-Sans! It's good to see you, but I, uh... wasn't expecting visitors." She spoke, stammering through her sentence as she often did. "N-not that I don't want you here or anything! I just, um..." Her eyes scanned back and forth, trying desperately to get past her inherent social awkwardness. She smiled, starting over, "What can I do for you, Sans?"

Sans chuckled to himself, amused by the lizard girl's charming lack of finesse. "got some things i wanna talk to you about." He answered, glancing at the taller of the two, "it's kind of a private issue, if you wouldn't mind."

Undyne rolled her eyes, smiling. "Oh, fine." She obliged, "I could use a rest anyway." She put her girlfriend down and headed upstairs to the bedroom shared by the couple, closing the door behind her.

Alphys nervously fidgeted with her shirt collar. She was nervous over the idea of a 'private talk' with Sans after so much time had passed between them. Sure, they would talk occasionally, but it had been a long time since either of them saw each other regularly. What exactly was it that he wanted, she wondered.

"well, i'll cut to the chase." Sans spoke after a period of silence, "i need to know if you can synthesize a soul."

"W-what! What kind of question is that?" Alphys exclaimed, taken aback by the unexpected question, but quickly calming herself down. She adjusted her glasses again, switching to scientist mode. "I mean, it c-could theoretically be possible, but I'm not really sure." She answered as directly as she could, "It was one of the t-targets of my research as a Royal Scientist, but... w-we gave up on that."

"Besides... I don't have any of my equipment here." She continued, her voice growing quieter, "All that stuff's at m-my old lab."

Sans' brow furrowed as the light died from his eyes. He wasn't one to give up so easily, though. If this was the one future where he might make a difference, he wasn't going to let it go. "we need to go back there, then." He stated stubbornly.

Alphys' eyes were downturned as she thought about the atrocities committed within that lab. "I... I can't..." She replied somberly.

Sans looked to his former partner pleadingly. "i'll explain more later, Alphys." He spoke matter-of-factly, "but this is real important."

The good doctor sighed in defeat. "Fine." She conceded, "Just let me get a few things ready."

* * *

A powerful bang rocked the foundations of the room as the door exploded open. The child nearly jumped out of their skin as they were startled awake, frantically wrapping their blanket around themselves to cover their still-undressed body. Eyes straining to focus against the light coming in from the hall, they could see a tall, shadowed figure looming in the doorway. Panic rose in their heart as they struggled to identify the intruder.

"HUMAN." It spoke loudly. "I HAVE COME..."

The lights flipped on and there stood the red-clad skeleton brother. "TO CHEER YOU UP!" Papyrus declared with a wide grin.

Frisk stared blankly for a moment, their brain struggling to comprehend what just happened in all the excitement. Once they'd fully realized who was standing at their door, they couldn't suppress a small smile from showing on their face. The towering skeleton strode into the room to scoop the tiny blanketed child up into his arms, squeezing them in a tight embrace. Frisk's cheeks burned red, holding the blanket around themselves as tightly as possible, struggling to breathe as the skeleton man held them close to his chest. Even through the embarrassment, the child couldn't resist leaning into him.

After a shared moment of tranquility, Papyrus released the human, placing them back on their bed. "YOU ARE QUITE LUCKY TO HAVE SUCH A GREAT FRIEND AS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" He announced with excitement in his voice, "I CANNOT ALLOW MY FAVORITE HUMAN TO FEEL BAD! WE ARE GOING TO HAVE LOTS OF FUN TOGETHER AND YOU WILL FEEL HAPPY AGAIN!"

Frisk hid their face within their blanket, face burning redder and redder. They must have looked like a little nervous cherry by now. "P-Papyrus!" They shouted, voice quivering and muffled by the blanket. It succeeded in getting his attention, though, as he quieted down and looked to his friend. Frisk took a breath and peeked out from the sheets, resting their chin on their knees. "That's great, but... I need to get dressed!"

"YES, OF COURSE!" Papyrus exclaimed happily, "FRIENDS WEAR CLOTHES WHEN THEY HANG OUT! I SHOULD GET DRESSED TOO!" And with that, he exited, slamming the door shut. Frisk let out a relieved breath. This was an unexpected turn in their day, but they weren't resistant. They might even enjoy themselves.

They threw off their blanket and proceeded to throw on their usual attire, along with a dark hoodie over it. While they dressed, their thoughts drifted around. Between their friends' work and the child's own seclusion, they hadn't seen most of their friends in some time. Sans was usually around, but Alphys lived too far for regular visits. The rest of them were usually away from home, dealing with politics.

Part of them was genuinely happy to be seeing the upbeat skeleton man again, but another part of them was wary of allowing themselves to get attached. With the knowledge of what could come next for them, they just wanted to disappear one day and have everyone forget they existed.

Despite this feeling of dread, their thoughts drifted back to when they were all together, just after the barrier was destroyed.

" _I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL ALWAYS BE YOUR FRIEND!"_ He had said to them, to which Sans added on, _"no matter how hard you try to get rid of him."_

" _HEY! THAT'S TRUE."_

And here he was, steadfast in his dedication to his word, no matter how they felt about it. That was what mattered now, and they had no real choice but to deal with it.

Frisk stood by their door, hand ready on the knob, as they slipped on their shoes. Stepping out into the hall, they spotted Papyrus, considering his outfit in the mirror.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK, FRISK?"

The child snickered to themselves. "Why are you wearing one of mom's robes?"

Papyrus' cheekbones glowed in an exaggerated blush. "IT WAS ALL I COULD FIND! THE QUEEN HAS A VERY... CONSISTENT WARDROBE!"

In a few great strides, the statuesque skeleton moved down the hall to their small human friend, picking them up and carrying them like a football. "OFF WE GO!" He declared, rushing downstairs and out of the house with not a moment to lose.

"Where are we going, Papyrus?" Frisk spoke up after several minutes spent running through the woods, tucked under his arm.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Papyrus answered blatantly, with not a hint of uncertainty in his voice, "I HAVEN'T FIGURED THAT OUT YET! BUT IT IS SURE TO BE AMAZING!"

The child shuffled and fidgeted around in his grasp. "This isn't exactly comfortable." They quietly complained.

"MY APOLOGIES, FRISK!" He replied, and without hesitation, he lifted the child to the back of his neck, allowing them to ride on his back. "WHAT COOLER RIDE IS THERE THAN THE GREAT PAPYRUS?"

A small smile escaped from Frisk as they wrapped their arms around Papyrus' neck, resting their chin upon his head and feeling their eyes grow heavy. They still hadn't had a full night's sleep, a fact that was growing increasingly irritating for them. Maybe they could just take a nap right here...

. . .

They were awoken by a sudden jolt, confused to find that the snow-filled woods they were just in had before their eyes turned into the MTT Resort. They hadn't even remembered falling asleep, yet here they were, as if time had just skipped ahead. The place's business had increased exponentially due to its connection to the core, the child noting the great amount of people moving through the building. Despite all this, the fountain still hadn't been fixed.

Papyrus moved swiftly through the crowd, each step carefully calculated. From their seat atop his shoulders, Frisk felt like they towered above everyone else. Being so high up made them a little dizzy, as the change in perspective took some getting used to.

As they crossed over to the core and approached the express elevator, the skeleton man pulled a small badge from his pocket, showing his human friend. "I GET SPECIAL ACCESS BECAUSE I'M SUCH A COOL GUY!" He proudly bragged with a laugh. Frisk took a closer look at the object to notice that it was merely a VIP card with the words 'VERY COOL PERSON' written prominently in red marker. He swiped the card in front of the scanner and the elevator doors came open.

Frisk stepped down from the shoulders of their friend and the two entered, the soft hum of the elevator soon filling the room, relaxing the child. The last time they had seen the surface was when the barrier was broken, but it didn't matter to them very much. Their thoughts drifted to their old life up above. Before they fell into the mountain, all they knew of monsters were stories and legends. Curiosity and stubborn recklessness had been what led them below, and now that they had a new life here, the human world didn't matter to them anymore.

They didn't remember their family very well. Their appearances, the sounds of their voices, everything had been long lost to the child. Fuzzy images of faceless people were all that came to mind when they tried to remember them. They did, however, remember spending a long time alone. They remembered coming home to an empty house one day. They remembered the days they spent scared, huddled into a corner, waiting for someone to come back for them.

But nobody came.

They looked up to meet the eyes of their taller skeleton friend, who looked back to them with a bright grin. Averting their gaze, a small smile colored their face. The monsters of the underground had become more of a family to them than anybody else. Despite everything, it felt like things might be okay.

Finally, the elevator doors swung open, sunlight beaming directly on the pair. Frisk shielded their eyes, struggling to focus, as Papyrus led them outside. The city in the distance glowed vibrantly against the steadily darkening backdrop of the evening sky. "I KEEP MY CAR AT UNDYNE'S HOUSE!" Papyrus shouted, eyes shifting back and forth, "ALPHYS TELLS ME IT'S BEST NOT TO BRING VEHICLES INTO THE MOUNTAIN, BECAUSE THEY'LL TURN IT INTO A GREEN HOUSE!"

The tiny human tugged on his robe, gaining his attention. "OH RIGHT!" He spoke as realization hit him. He grabbed the child under the arms and raised them up, returning them to his shoulders. "BETTER, PAL?"

Frisk nodded, squeezing him around the neck and nuzzling his head. With that, the two were off again, marching briskly down the mountain path and towards the shore. The cool wind nipped at the child's cheeks, eliciting a shiver, causing them to pull their hood over their head and hide their face under their arm.

Minutes passed, and the gentle sound of waves crashing against the shore came closer as they approached the beach. Quaint, contemporary homes lined the beachfront, stretching down into the distance. A short walk down the street and the pair were standing before Undyne and Alphys' home. Under the covered driveway was Papyrus' fancy, cherry-red convertible, which the skeleton man looked upon with great pride.

He strode up to the doorstep and prepared himself to kick open the door, only to succeed in pushing himself over backward. "IMPOSSIBLE!" He shouted from the ground, lamenting his failure, "THIS DOOR MUST HAVE SOME KIND OF... ANTI-SKELETON SEAL!"

Frisk stepped over their collapsed friend, jiggling the doorknob. "No, it's just locked." They corrected under their breath. Papyrus stood himself back up and puffed out his chest, knocking on the door. Shortly after the second strike of his knuckle, the door burst open, and without warning he was again thrown to the ground, his arm pinned behind his back.

It all happened in a flash, Frisk seeing nothing more than a blue and red blur rush past them and slam into their companion faster than they could react. Turning back to observe the damage, they saw the dynamic fish woman mounted atop the skeleton's back, a mischievous grin splayed across her face.

"Say 'uncle'!" She commanded to her protégé, slowly forcing more of her weight down upon him.

"BUT YOU'RE NOT MY UNCLE!" Papyrus countered, a confused look on his face. He reached his free arm toward Frisk. "NYAH! HELP ME, HUMAN! YOU ARE MY ONLY HOPE!" He called pleadingly.

As the child timidly approached the wrestling two, Undyne flashed her frightening grin at them. "Gimme your best shot, punk!" She challenged. Frisk weakly put up their dukes and hesitantly threw a punch at her leg. A tiny _smack_ broke the air as their fist collided. Undyne looked at the kid in disbelief, clutching a hand over her heart and slowly falling backward off of Papyrus.

"No..." She spoke softly, "S-somehow, with just one hit... I'm already..." Letting out a gasp, she flopped over limply on the ground, with her tongue hanging out of her mouth.

Frisk took a sharp breath, covering their mouth with their hands in shock. Quickly, they rushed to their fallen friend's side, calling her name through a panicked voice. She remained unresponsive as they shook her as hard as they could. Tears soaked into her shirt as the child threw themselves onto her, wailing 'no' repeatedly.

"OH NO, FRISK! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Papyrus shouted in an exaggerated tone.

Undyne could no longer keep a straight face, her expression growing tight as she attempted to suppress her snickering. Holding it in no longer, she burst into laughter, holding the human close against her. "Chill out, kid! I was just messin' with ya!" She consoled through hysterics, "Come on, you know you'd have to try a little harder than THAT."

Frisk threw a sore look Undyne's way, folding their arms over their chest and pouting their quivering lip, their eyes still wet. The fish woman responded by playfully ruffling the kid's hair. A confused look shot across her face as she glanced toward Papyrus. "Why are you wearing one of Toriel's robes?" She asked flatly.

Papyrus nervously fidgeted with his fingers, excessive sweat pouring off his brow. "SEE, UH, FUNNY STORY ABOUT THAT-" He started, but was interrupted by Undyne's booming laughter.

"Y'know what, don't tell me!" She loudly spoke, gesturing a thumb to herself, "I like MY version better!"

She spent another moment laughing to herself, thoroughly amused by her own imagination, before speaking up again. "So what are you guys doing out here?" She asked.

"ACTUALLY, WE WERE COMING TO SEE WHAT YOU WERE ALL UP TO!" Papyrus answered excitedly, "WHERE IS EVERYONE ANYWAY?"

Undyne barely disguised an irritated expression, looking away from Papyrus. "I don't know where they went, actually. I took a short nap and when I woke up, they were gone." She answered, her attitude clearly sore. "So not much going on here really!" She exclaimed, again throwing on a grin.

"OH. WELL." Papyrus replied, taking a moment to think to himself. "MY CAR IS ALSO HERE!"

In the blink of an eye, Undyne jumped into the passenger seat of Papyrus' convertible. "Oh hell yeah!" She shouted in excitement, "Nightlife!"

* * *

"You're lucky I kept the key to this place..." Alphys muttered under her breath to her skeletal companion, waving a small card key in front of the door to her old home. An electronic scanner positioned to the side of the door beeped a positive tone and the automatic doors swung open before the pair.

As they stepped inside, motion-detecting sensors activated the lights, revealing the empty lab. Without the lizard girl's possessions to bring personality to it, the whole place felt dismal, unsettling Alphys more and more the longer they stuck around.

The pair crossed the perimeter of the lab, coming to a stop before the 'bathroom'. The door towered ominously over her, memories causing her to shake nervously. She turned away, looking to her friend. "Before we go in there, Sans..." She stated firmly, "I need to know what this is all about."

Sans' grin was unrelenting as always, but the look in his eyes was anything but pleasant. "it's... kinda hard to explain." He replied, looking away, "i'll explain it in due time, but... i need to know what this is gonna take."

Alphys' expression turned uneasy as she sighed in resignation. "I don't like this, Sans." She said plainly as the two of them entered the secret elevator. The ride down below felt agonizingly slow while an uncomfortable silence mounted between them.

"the kid's in a lot of pain." Sans spoke dryly, the light dying from his eyes, "i know it's a long shot, but if this doesn't work, it could cost all of us a lot."

Alphys swallowed tensely as the elevator slowed down. The lights dimmed and the door slid open. Feeling her heart beat rapidly in her chest, she mentally steeled herself and stepped forward...


	7. Status Update

**Author's Note**

 **Just popping in to let you all know that this story is in fact still being worked on! I'm terribly sorry for keeping you all waiting for so long, as I've been nothing but busy for awhile now, but unfortunately it's gonna have to be a little longer. Due to a system failure, I've lost all the progress I'd made on Chapter 6, so I'm gonna have to rewrite it. Just bear with me here and it'll be out soon enough!**


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